Wednesday, April 6, 2011

"Radioactive Fallout Expected in Korea Thursday"

"Experts warn that small amounts of radioactive particles
from Japan's stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant
will be blown into the Korean Peninsula around Thursday.

A spokesman for the Korea Meteorological Administration on Monday
said a northeasterly wind began blowing in the morning and radioactive materials
...will probably be carried in the direction of Okinawa, south of Japan.

On Thursday, this wind will likely turn into a southwesterly
that could carry radioactive particles accumulated in Okinawa to Korea.

Some 20 to 60 mm of rains is forecast across the country on Thursday,
and there is a chance that this will mean radioactive fallout.

Nobody had expected the radioactive particles to travel to Korea so swiftly
on this combination of winds.

...the situation began changing on March 28
when radioactive particles were detected at Seoul "
and seven other radiation detection stations out of a total of 12,
raising the possibility that those particles were blown from Fukushima
to the Korean Peninsula via the North Pole.

The Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU) has offered a similar analysis recently,
predicting that winds carrying large quantities of radioactive materials such as cesium
will make landfall on the Korean Peninsula on Wednesday,
on the assumption that it has accumulated in the air south of Japan..."